Film & TV Reviews

The Mindscape of
Alan Moore(2 disc DVD) Shadowsnake Films, 2003

Iconoclastic magician, writer, and performer Alan Moore is the sort of artist whom Kierkegaard had in mind when he declared, “When you label me, you negate me.” Moore has a higher profile among comic geeks than among witches and magick folks, but this beautifully packaged DVD set from Shadowsnake Films may help in addressing that imbalance. (If you haven’t read Moore’s Promethea yet, get thee to a book store, and pick up one of the most informative and entertaining works on the history of Western magic you’ll find in print.)

The aim of Mindscape is to bring us into the alchemical space of the artist. Vylenz wisely makes Moore’s expressive face the center of the film, surrounding him with images of London and Northampton, and surreal-ist imagery, and the occasional brief vignette from his stories or art from his comics. What guides the shape of the narrative are the images of the Thoth tarot deck.

Hollywood almost always butchers fantasy. Enthralled by big names and CGI, most producers drown wonder in cacophony. For years, filmmaker Jamin Winans tried to interest studios in his modest phantasia, Ink. Frustrated, he decided to make it himself, and that frustration paid oﬀ in a masterpiece.